Folding step exerciser

ABSTRACT

A folding step exerciser includes a base including a front square socket projecting upwardly and including front and rear apertures, a horizontal support extending rearward from the support, and a transverse tube on the support adjacent rear of the socket; left and right handlebars; an upright having a top end adjustably secured to the handlebars; a pivot fixedly secured around a bottom end of the upright, the pivot having a U-shaped cross-section and including a front surface, a cavity on a bottom edge of the front surface, two triangular side surfaces, and a hole at a rear pointed end of either side surface; a bolt adapted to drive through one hole, the tube, and the other hole to pivotably secure the pivot and the socket together by cooperating with a nut, and a fastener adapted to threadably fasten the pivot and the socket together.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The invention relates to folding step exercisers and more particularly to such a folding step exerciser having a pivotal upright which can be folded to a horizontal position after threadably unfastening.

2. Description of Related Art

A well known folding step exerciser is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 and comprises an I-shaped base 20 including a front square socket 21 projecting upwardly from a center of a front bar of the base 20. A hollow cylindrical upright 22 is releasably secured to the socket 21. In detail, a bolt 25 is driven through the socket 21 and the upright 22 to be secured by means of a nut 24. Left and right handlebars 23 are releasably secured to a top of the upright 22.

However, the fastening of the socket 21 and the upright 22 is not reliable. In fact, it tends to loosen after a short period of time of use. As a result, the handlebars 23 may vibrate significantly during use. And in turn, the user may feel a degree of discomfort. Moreover, when not in use, a user has to use a tool to unfasten the bolt and nut prior to detaching both the upright 22 and the handlebars 23 from the base 20. This is, however a time consuming process.

Still, there have been numerous suggestions in prior patents for folding step exerciser. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,722 discloses a structure of folding collapsible step exerciser. Thus, continuing improvements in the exploitation of folding step exerciser are constantly being sought.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore one object of the invention to provide a folding step exerciser having a pivotal upright which can be folded to a horizontal position after threadably unfastening.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of folding step exerciser according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the step exerciser;

FIG. 3 is a front view in part section of a lower portion of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of FIG. 1 showing the step exerciser collapsed;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional folding step exerciser; and

FIG. 6 is a front view in part section of a lower portion of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a folding step exerciser in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an I-shaped base 10 including a front square socket 111 projecting upwardly from a center of a front bar of the base 10, the socket 111 having a hole 111 on a front surface and another hole (not shown) on a rear surface, a horizontal support 12 extending rearward from a position proximate a top of the support 12, a pad 13 mounted on the support 12, and a transverse tube 14 formed on the support 12 adjacent the rear of the socket 11 by soldering.

The step exerciser further comprises a hollow cylindrical upright 17, left and right handlebars 171 releasably secured to a top end of the upright 17, and a pivot 16 fixedly secured around a bottom end of the upright 17.

The pivot 16 is of U-shaped as viewed from top or bottom and comprises a rectangular front surface 161, a cavity 162 on a bottom edge of the front surface 161, two triangular side surfaces 163, and a hole 1631 at a rear pointed end of either side surface 163.

A bolt 18 is driven through one hole 1631, the tube 14, and the other hole 1631 to be secured by means of a nut 181. The bore of the tube 14 is sufficiently larger than the diameter of the shank of the bolt 18. That is, no interference occurs when the bolt 18 rotates in the tube 14. As a result, the upright 17 and the socket 11 are pivotably secured together.

A fastener 15 comprises a wing head 151, a tapered shank 152, and threads 153 on a rear portion of the shank 152. The shank 152 has a diameter slightly larger than a width of the cavity 162.

For mounting the upright 17 onto the socket 11, a user may simply pivot the upright 17 counterclockwise (see FIG. 4) until the cavity 162 is aligned with the hole 111. Next, the user drives the fastener 15 through the front hole 111 and the rear hole of the socket 11 until the head 151 urges against the cavity 162 by rotating the head 151 prior to being secured by means of a nut (not shown). The fastening of the pivot 16 and the socket 11 is reliable since the shank 152 has a diameter slightly larger than the width of the cavity 162. As a result, the upright 17 is securely mounted. Hence, the handlebars 17 substantially do not vibrate during use and the user thus can feel a degree of comfort.

When not in use, the user may first unfasten the fastener 15 by the hand until the fastener 15 is detached from both the pivot 16 and the socket 11. This technique is well known in the art. Thereafter, the user may pivot the upright 17 clockwise until the upright 17 lies horizontally on the pad 13 as shown in FIG. 4. In short, the folding operation of the invention involves no tool. Hence, it is convenient and quick.

While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims. 

1. A folding step exerciser comprising: a base including a front square socket projecting upwardly and including front and rear apertures, a horizontal support extending rearward from the support, and a transverse tube mounted on the support adjacent a rear of the socket; left and right handlebars; an upright having a top end adjustably secured to the handlebars; a pivot fixedly secured around a bottom end of the upright, the pivot having a U-shaped cross-section and including a front surface, a cavity on a bottom edge of the front surface, two triangular side surfaces, and a hole at a rear pointed end of either side surface; a bolt adapted to drive through one hole, the tube, and the other hole to pivotably secure the pivot and the socket together by cooperating with a nut, and a fastener adapted to threadably fasten the pivot and the socket together.
 2. The folding step exerciser of claim 1, further comprising a pad mounted on the support.
 3. The folding step exerciser of claim 1, wherein the fastener comprises a wing head, a tapered shank, and threads on a rear portion of the shank, wherein the shank has a diameter slightly larger than a width of the cavity, and wherein the cavity is aligned with the apertures when the upright stands upright such that driving the fastener through the front and rear apertures until the head urges against the cavity by rotating the head will secure the pivot and the socket together by cooperating with a second nut.
 4. The folding step exerciser of claim 1, wherein a bore of the tube is larger than a diameter of a shank of the bolt for causing no interference when the bolt rotates in the tube. 